Troublesome Trimaran Smashes on Rocks in Humboldt
On Sunday, the 45-ft Midnight Sun, a San Francisco-flagged trimaran, ran aground in bad weather on the rocky waters off Shelter Cove in Humboldt County. A huge hole was torn into the starboard hull, and when the local fire department got a distress call, first responders said they didn’t expect to find any survivors.
“It was really terrible weather. It was raining like a monsoon, it was dark and it was foggy,” a member of the Shelter Cove Volunteer Fire Department told the Lost Cost Outpost. This was actually the second time in the last few weeks that Midnight Sun was in distress, according to the Outpost. On March 29, the Coast Guard was called in to tow Midnight Sun into Noyo Harbor in Fort Bragg.
On Sunday, the crew of Midnight Sun “floated safely to shore in an inflatable boat,” the Outpost reported. Firefighters said, “It’s a total miracle they were safe and not injured.”
Two of the boat’s occupants are from Fort Bragg and three are from Texas, according to the Outpost. One of the Texans owns the trimaran, and was reportedly sailing from Fort Bragg to Portland to have the boat appraised for insurance.
Dangerous lee shore all along that coast. Maybe newbies that don’t know enough to stay out offshore for maneuvering room in stormy conditions. Sad about the hull. Hope it can be salvaged and repaired.
A testament to the design — I own a similar Horstman 45 — that it survived, but can’t second-guess skipper on leaving her. We stayed 15-30 mi. off the entire coast coming down, past the pots/nets and inside the shipping lanes. NorCal sailors deserve respect for sailing the conditions and terrain they do, and some days the dragon gets you.
It really hurts to see that. Thankfully the crew is safe!
Any word what ultimately happened to the boat? I own a Horstman 45… built like a tank.